A stainless steel artefact is both a product of our metalwork factories and a reflection of our use of it
YALoPP - Yet another lockdown photo project: my photo study of the textures, surfaces and shapes of stainless steel things
Yet another lockdown photo project - stainless steel
Study of the textures, surfaces and shapes of stainless steel objects. Chromium and other metals are added to the steel, and carbon is removed by oxidation, which makes an alloy much more resistant to rust or corrosion than steel made from iron ore only. A finished item can take a high polish or a matte. But it turns out that when you look closely, stainless steel is neither stainless nor colourless; each of these objects from my kitchen or toolbox has acquired a patina and shows wear patterns specific to its use and can reflect or diffuse the light of its surroundings. So a stainless steel artefact is both a product of our metalwork factories and a reflection of our use of it. These images are pretty much straight from the camera with only minor cropping, despotting and colour tariffing.